US protectionism eroding its allure in Asia

Protectionist trade policies and the lack of an economic agenda for East and Southeast Asia have become central themes in critiques of US policy towards the region and its approach to managing US-China “strategic competition.” According to these accounts, US protectionism undermines its economic draw in East Asia — and the political leverage stemming from it — at a time when it has […]Continue Reading

Most TikTok user information already out in the open

The social media app TikTok has been a focus of concern that the Chinese government could access data on individual users. Whether the app poses a security risk remains unclear, but TikTok has now been banned from government devices in several countries. However, reports suggest that computer-based tools designed to collect data from publically available […]Continue Reading

Korea and Japan try and try again for a reset

TOKYO – South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s recent visit to Japan took an often backward-facing relationship and reset it looking forward, at least for the time being. The US was pleased to see its two allies working together rather than arguing about history. Yoon spent two days in Japan, meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida […]Continue Reading

Inspirational role models

To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, a number of extraordinary women from a wide range of fields who have inspired change in their communities through the pursuit of excellence have been named the Bangkok Post’s Women of the Year.Continue Reading

All eyes on PBOC as US banking woes go global

Yi Gang, the governor of the People's Bank of China, has tried to reassure investors. Photo: AFP / Wang Zhao

If Governor Yi Gang’s staff at the People’s Bank of China had been planning a vacation in 2023, it might be time to cancel. The PBOC’s surprise move on March 27 to lower the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for financial institutions by 25 basis points is the first official acknowledgment that troubles from Silicon Valley […]Continue Reading

US Federal Reserve in high-wire rate decision

The Federal Reserve faces a pivotal decision on March 22, 2023: whether to continue its aggressive fight against inflation or put it on hold. Making another big interest rate hike would risk exacerbating the global banking turmoil sparked by Silicon Valley Bank’s failure on March 10. Raising rates too little, or not at all as […]Continue Reading

Foreign policy of an anxious adolescent superpower

Filipino fishermen eat a meal aboard their boat overlooking Chinese fishing vessels. Photo: Reuters/Erik De Castro

China’s extremely successful economic development brings two predicaments, one domestic and one foreign. Domestically, rapid development quickly makes the economy and society more complex. An agricultural economy with basic industries suddenly has thousands of interconnected industries, a complicated technology sector and a highly differentiated services sector. A complex economy brings with it a complex society. […]Continue Reading

AI grows more powerful while we become more predictable

With any groundbreaking new technology, the pace of adoption climbs quickly. Over the past two decades, new platforms and tools, from the iPhone to TikTok, have seen progressively faster adoption rates. The adoption rate of ChatGPT, the artificial-intelligence (AI) large language model owned by OpenAI, is unlike anything we have ever seen. Within five days of release, […]Continue Reading